


There’s gotta be a reason

by MissCellophane



Series: Random Ideas I Had [12]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: (it’s his mother), Billy Hargrove has a heart, Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bullying, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Gen, I wrote this while I was in the car, Implied Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Light Angst, One Shot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Short One Shot, Tell me if I need to add any tags, Written Before Season Three, it’s not very graphic but if you want me to add a warning I will, or a bit of one anyway, some blood and violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 03:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCellophane/pseuds/MissCellophane
Summary: Billy didn’t care what happened to him as long as it wasn’t her.





	There’s gotta be a reason

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from “There’s gotta be a reason” by Alec Benjamin. It was one of the songs I was listening to when I wrote this. The other being “The Boy In The Bubble” which I had been listening to on repeat when I came up with this idea. I just love Alec Benjamin so much.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters.

The blows landed over and over again. He could feel the blood dripping down his face, his ribs were aching with pain and his nose might be broken. But the adrenaline running through his body numbed most of the pain so he didn’t give any of it much thought.

He laughed. 

“Go ahead. Punch me. Come on! I’m ready for a fight!” Billy shouted out, a crazed glint in his eyes.

“Freak!” The kid standing in front of him shouted as he kicked him again.

Billy continued to laugh even though he was sure he would be a mess of red,blue and purple when he got home. He pushed himself up and started returning the hits with a manic grin.

...

Billy ducked his head as he entered his house, he closed the door as quietly as he could behind him and started towards his room.

“Billy? Is that you?” Billy froze as his mother rounded the corner into the living room “Billy! What took you so long? You were supposed to be hom-“ His mother cut off with a gasp.

“Billy? What happened?” His mother asked as she ran over to him. She gently moved his head this way and that “Look at you! Who did this? What happened?”

Billy straightened as best he could with bruised ribs, he didn’t want her to be too worried “I’m fine mom. Trust me, you don’t want to know. I took care of it.”

She shot him a familiar look of disapproval “That’s what you always say.” She sighed “I wished you would stop getting into fights. You might get seriously hurt one of these days!”

Billy merely smiled back, mentally wincing when he felt his lip break open again “I’ll be fine. I’m gonna go clean up okay?” He replied. 

She gave him a once over before huffing and nudging him towards the bathroom “Dinner will be ready in an hour. Go take a bath.”

Billy would have shot her another grin but he didn't want to make his lip any worse, so instead he nodded “Alright. Thanks mom.” He said as he headed towards the bathroom.

‘As long as it wasn’t her.’ He would think to himself later as his dad tossed him to the ground again for being a “Fucking pussy! Can’t you go one fight without getting your ass kicked!?”

‘As long as it wasn’t her.’ He thought as his head banged into the wall making one of the photos fall to the ground and crack. 

‘As long as it wasn’t her.’ He would gasp out later as he cleaned himself up in the bathroom, blood turning the clear water red and his hands shaking as he wiped his wounds clean.

Billy would do whatever he needed to keep his mother safe. Even if that meant becoming the bad guy. As long as his father’s anger was aimed at him and not her. 

“As long as it wasn’t her.” He would whisper into the dark of his room late at night “I don’t care what happens to me.”

A few years later after his mother died he stared down at a small red head with a bright grin and a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She reminded him a lot of his mother before she fell sick. He flicked his gaze over to his father and back.

‘As long as it wasn’t her.’He thought to himself as he scowled at the girl and told her to piss off.

He’d rather be the bad guy then let his dad ruin someone else.

**Author's Note:**

> I know there are probably quite a few stories already written about Billy but I couldn’t help but write this. I was listening to “boy in the bubble” and I couldn’t resist when the idea came to me. Though to be honest? I don’t really like Billy. He’s a dick, plain and simple. But I do feel there might be a reason for it and I like to think Billy isn’t that bad of a guy. Maybe. He’s just got a lot of issues he needs to sort out. Hopefully it’ll be addressed in the show? Who knows.


End file.
